


Path to the Heavens

by AXEe



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Gen, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-16 04:16:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19310440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: A rift in space.   An unusual vessel.   A connection between realities.   Just another day in the Delta Quadrant...





	1. Blast From the Past

**Author's Note:**

> So, lately, I've been reading up on/watching clips from Star Trek: Discovery on YouTube, and in between bouts of wanting to either tear my hair out or bang my head on the wall while kicking the ever-living daylights out of Bryan Fuller for _KILLING_ Star Trek (ironically, he also wrote some of the teleplays for Voyager and DS9, including the teleplay for _Voyager's_ "The Raven" and "Bride of Chaotica!", so I'm not sure how I feel about that).
> 
> Anyway, in-between bouts of cartoonish, Loony Toons-style homicidal rage, I found I liked the idea of the 'spore drive' used on _Discovery_ , but felt that it would work a lot better in a future Star Trek series (or just a generic sci-fi show), and of course found myself asking the obvious question of: if the drive is so fast and advanced (apparently a ship using the drive can cross a distances of ninety light-years in 1.3 seconds) then why didn't Voyager--which takes place at least half a century _after_ Discovery--just find some of the magic mushrooms and skip on home back to Earth?
> 
> See, this is why I hate retcons.
> 
> Anywho, I got to thinking of what if Voyager really _did_ find some of the 'shrooms and tried to use them to get home, with understandably chaotic results? And what if some of those chaotic results involved a J/7 plotline? Because...well...J/7 :=)
> 
> So, here we go, enjoy?
> 
> (PS, no direct spoilers for Discovery, not that it matters, since I don't consider it Trek canon anyway :=)

******

The anomaly couldn’t be seen on visual sensors, or even with the naked eye, but yet, it was there.

Seven rechecked the readings at least ten times before she hailed the Bridge.

“ _Chakotay here,_ ” Chakotay replied “ _what’s on your mind, Seven?_ ” he chuckled, and Seven had to repress a smile at the comment, things had been surprisingly easy and comfortably between them since they had mutually and amicably ended their brief romantic relationship.

“Commander, I’ve detected an unusual anomaly approximately forty kilometers off our port bow” she explained.

On the Bridge, Chakotay frowned and glanced at Ops.

“Harry?” he asked.

Harry frowned at his console, adjusting the sensors, blinking in clear surprise at what he found.

“That…wasn’t there a second ago” he exclaimed.

“Getting slow in your old age, Harry?” Tom teased from the helm.

“Very funny, Tom,” Harry chuckled dryly before turning back to his console “Commander, the anomaly—whatever it is—is expanding,” he reported “it’s almost like it’s…following us” he explained.

“Take us out of warp. Shields up,” Chakotay ordered “Captain to the Bridge” Chakotay called, the computer automatically finding Kathryn in her quarters and routing the hail to her. A few minutes later, a bleary-eyed Kathryn stepped off the turbolift, absently straightening her uniform as she nursed a large mug of coffee.

“It’s three in the morning,” she grumbled “this had better be good”

“The anomaly is continuing to expand” Tuvok reported.

Kathryn blinked, looking from Chakotay to Tuvok in confusion.

“Seven of Nine detected some kind of anomaly,” Chakotay explained “it just appeared there and it seems to be following us”

“At warp?” Kathryn asked incredulously.

“Looks that way” Chakotay nodded as a sudden shudder ran through the ship. Stumbling, Kathryn caught herself as the lights dimmed, red alert klaxons blaring throughout the ship.

“Bridge to Astrometrics,” Kathryn called “Seven, what else can you tell me about this thing?” she asked.

“ _I require more time for more in-depth analysis_ ” Seven replied.

“Well, whatever it is, it’s definitely following us” Tom reported.

“Take the impulse engines off-line,” Chakotay ordered “let’s see what that’ll do”

“Aye, sir,” Tom nodded, fingers flying across his console just as another shudder ran through the ship again “no dice, it’s still there” he announced.

“ _Astrometrics to Bridge,_ ” Seven hailed “ _the anomaly appears to be attracted to the resonance frequency of our warp core_ ” she reported.

“She’s right,” Harry announced as another shudder ran through the ship “we’re pulling this thing along with us”

“Bridge to Engineering,” Chakotay called “emergency shut down of the warp core, now!”

“ _Sir?_ ” an officer questioned.

“That’s an order, crewman!” Kathryn barked out, struggling to keep her footing as the ship continued to shudder.

“ _Aye, ma’am_ ”

Slowly, the violent shuddering stopped the sudden change to almost-complete stillness unnerving.

“Seven?” Kathryn called.

“ _The anomaly has stopped pursuing us,_ ” Seven reported “ _it is maintaining a position forty kilometers off our port bow_ ”

“Captain, there appears to be vessel caught in the anomaly,” Tuvok reported “I am detecting a distinct warp signature”

“On screen” Kathryn ordered.

The image that was displayed on the viewscreen was very unusual; it appeared less like a nebulous glowing cloud and more like a series of slowly-expanding ripples. Slowly moving down to stand by the helm, Kathryn frowned at the image.

“Seven, what am I looking at here?” she asked “Seven?” she asked when no response came, turning as the turbolift opened and Seven herself stepped out onto the Bridge, coming to stand besides Kathryn at Tom’s other shoulder.

“There you are,” Kathryn chuckled “so,” she nodded at the viewscreen “what is this?”

“Unknown,” Seven replied “however it is…unique” she noted softly as a series of bright blue flashes of light lit up the ‘center’ (such as it was) of the anomaly. Slowly, a vessel appeared, seeming to ‘unfold’ and ‘spiral’ out from a central point before stabilizing.

A sudden sense of unease ran through the Bridge as the assembled crew took in the sight of the slowly-drifting ship now on the screen.

“Is that…a Constitution-class ship?” Kathryn asked.

“It certainly looks like one” Chakotay noted.

“There hasn’t been a Constitution-class ship in service since the original _Enterprise_ was decommissioned,” Tom exclaimed, frowning as his console beeped “I’m picking up an automated distress signal from the ship,” he reported “not much, just a name and registry number” he explained.

“Let’s see it, Tom” Kathryn nodded.

Nodding in reply, Tom pulled the signal up, putting it up on the main viewscreen. Slowly, a series of scrolling numbers resolved into a registry number, followed by a name.

“What the hell?” Tom murmured as they all took in the information now in full display.

**NCC-1800  
U.S.S. VOYAGER**

“How is that possible?” Kathryn wondered, turning to look over at Seven, only to find that she had moved back to the aft science station.

“Captain,” Seven called “the vessel’s warp signature is identical to our own” she reported.

Kathryn and Chakotay stared at each other, confused.

“Some kind of parallel universe?” Chakotay suggested “alternate timeline?”

“Wherever she came from, it looks like she took one hell of a beating,” Tom noted as the image of the other ship reappeared on the viewscreen “I’m picking up multiple hull breaches and residual weapons’ signatures” 

“Any idea who attacked them?” Chakotay wondered.

“The weapons signature is Klingon” Seven announced.

“Life-signs?” Kathryn asked.

“Sporadic,” Harry reported “but it looks like that life support on the Bridge is still stable” he added.

Kathryn nodded to herself.

“Tom, wake B’Elanna and then join me in transporter room three,” she ordered “Seven, you and Tuvok too”

“Captain?” Chakotay questioned “you’re going over there?”

“I am indeed, Commander,” she nodded as she and Seven stepped into the turbolift “any complaints you have, you can put them in the ship’s log”

Chakotay smirked.

“We’ll be here when you get back” he replied…

******

As the away team rematerialized, they saw that the other _Voyager’s_ Bridge was in emergency status, the room was lit by emergency lighting and the bodies of what could only be the command crew were scattered around the room.

Stepping over to the conn, Tom scanned the slumped over body of the helmsman.

“Dead” he announced as he looked up from the Andorian’s limp form.

“Any idea how he died?” Kathryn asked.

Tom frowned, adjusting the tricorder.

“It looks like some kind of…cellular disruption,” he explained as the main lighting came on in full “thanks” Tom muttered, smiling at his wife.

“Don’t thank me yet,” B’Elanna warned “these systems are about half a century out of date, so don’t be surprised if we lose it” she explained as Kathryn slowly approached the command chair, gently turning it around, gasping at what she saw.

“Captain?” Seven caught her by the shoulders as she stumbled back in shock. Frowning, Tom, B’Elanna, and Tuvok came over, joining the two women.

“Intriguing,” Tuvok intoned “it would appear that Commander Chakotay’s suggestion that this vessel is from a parallel universe or alternate timeline is correct” he noted as they took in the image of the dead body of the ship’s captain.

An exact doppelganger of Kathryn Janeway herself.

A pained groan caught their attention, and turning, they spotted a figure in sciences blues weakly crawling out from under one of the consoles. Rushing over, Tom caught the woman’s arm.

“Easy, easy,” he warned as he eased her back “you’ve got severe internal injuries, lie still”

“ _Wha…where…_ ” the woman slurred and moaned, weakly raising one arm before dropping it, blinking blearily as Kathryn and Seven came over.

“Tom?” Kathryn asked quietly.

“We need to get her back to the ship” Tom explained.

“Janeway to _Voyager_ , we found a survivor, stand by for emergency transport to sick bay”

“ _Acknowledged_ ” Chakotay replied.

“I’ll take her,” Kathryn explained, coming to crouch besides the officer, a lieutenant if she was reading the rank strips correctly “easy,” Kathryn soothed “it’s all right,”

The woman weakly nodded, a visible pained shudder in the motion.

“What’s your name?” Kathryn asked.

“ _Han, Hansen,_ ” the woman slurred out “ _Annika Hansen_ ”

“ _Chakotay to Janeway, we’re ready_ ”

“Energize!” Kathryn ordered…


	2. Branching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter TWO! Enjoy! :=)

******

Kathryn frowned as she watched The Doctor examine their latest patient.

“Doctor?” she finally questioned.

The EMH looked up from his examination.

“Well, it was touch and go for a moment there, but our Lieutenant should be fine,” he declared “as for her appearance and identical name,” he picked a PADD and held it out to her “…her DNA profile is an exact match for Seven of Nine’s” he explained as Kathryn took the PADD and scrutinized the information it contained.

Setting it aside, she slowly circled the main biobed. Lt. Annika Hansen was dressed in the single one-piece miniskirt uniform variant that had been popular among many female Starfleet officers in the 23rd century and her hair was swept up in a similar coiffure to the hairstyle that Seven herself wore, but there were no Borg implants and according to The Doctor’s report she was fully Human.

“So, Lt. Hansen, where exactly did you come from?” Kathryn murmured. She looked up at The Doctor “can you wake her?” she asked.

“I would highly recommend against it,” The Doctor warned “but,” he sighed as he loaded a hypospray “as I’ve learned over these past seven years it’s useless to argue with Captain Janeway”

“That it is indeed, Doctor” Kathryn chuckled as he pressed the hypospray to the unconscious woman’s neck, the muted _hiss_ filling the air.

“Keep it short” the EMH advised as he stepped back.

Blinking, Lt. Hansen grimaced as she came back to awareness, frowning in confusion as she looked around, finally spotting Kathryn.

“Captain?” she questioned weakly.

“Easy,” Kathryn soothed “you’re safe”

“Where…?” Lt. Hansen looked around in confusion.

“It’s all right,” Kathryn assured her “you’re safe,” she repeated “you’re aboard a Federation starship,” she explained “can you tell me what you remember?” she asked.

Lt. Hansen frowned, brow wrinkling in confusion.

“We were testing the drive,” she began “suddenly, three D7 battlecrusiers decloaked directly above us and opened fire” she explained.

Kathryn nodded, feigning as if she already knew that those events had happened.

“Good,” she nodded “what happened then?”

“You…you ordered us to engage the drive,” Lt. Hansen explained slowly “but, something went wrong, a bloom failure,” she shook her head “we hit a Hawking radiation barrier…radiation breached the shields, irradiating the ship…you ordered us to disengage the drive and…” she trailed off, blinking in confusion.

“And?” Kathryn encouraged.

But, Lt. Hansen slowly sat up, pushing herself upright with a pained wince as she stared Kathryn.

“Who are you?” she asked “where am I?” she reached out, giving Kathryn’s combadge a light flick “this uniform, this room, what is this place?”

“You’re safe,” Kathryn assured her “as for me, I am Captain Janeway…just not the Kathryn Janeway you know” she explained hesitantly.

Lt. Hansen frowned, nodding slowly.

“I see…,” she said slowly “we always theorized that the mycelium network could expand into parallel realities,” she said “and this place? I’m assuming that this is… _Voyager_?” she asked.

“It is,” Kathryn nodded, finding herself smirking at how unflustered the other woman seemed, just like the Seven she knew “Lieutenant…,” she began “could you tell me the stardate?”

“Stardate 225400.1” Lt. Hansen answered without pause.

Kathryn sighed.

“Well, it looks like that you’ve traveled much farther than another reality” she mused.

Lt. Hansen frowned, looking around the room, looking over sharply as the doors slid open, Seven of Nine herself walking in.

For a moment the two blondes stared at each other.

“Captain,” Seven turned her attention to Kathryn, holding out a PADD “my preliminary report on the other _Voyager_ ” she explained.

Kathryn took the PADD, briefly skimming its contents before looking between the two blondes who were still staring each other down.

“I take it you two know each other?” she quipped.

“ _Kim to Janeway_ ”

“Go ahead, Harry” Kathryn called out.

“ _Just thought you should know that Tom and B’Elanna have made it into the other ship’s engine room_ ” Harry reported.

“Understood” Kathryn replied. Turning her attention back to Seven and their guest she saw The Doctor easing a clearly-exhausted Lt. Hansen back down onto the biobed, gently pressing another hypospray to her neck.

“She needs rest” he explained.

Kathryn nodded.

“Keep me informed, Doctor,” she ordered “Seven?”

******

Exiting sickbay, Seven by her side, Kathryn frowned.

“Thoughts?” she asked.

“It may be as Commander Chakotay suggested,” Seven replied “an alternate reality or an alternate timeline”

“I’ve never seen a theory on parallel realities that were this divergent,” Kathryn countered “speaking of the Commander, I heard through the grape vine that you and he were actually _dating_ a few months ago?”

“A brief romantic entanglement,” Seven dismissed “one which end amicably”

“Are you sure about that?” Kathryn pressed.

“I am” Seven confirmed as they reached the turbolift.

“So, why didn’t either of you mention this to me?” Kathryn wondered as they stepped inside the ‘lift.

“We agreed that there was no point in doing so as long as we were both unsure of nature of the relationship” Seven explained.

Kathryn nodded, unable to keep the jealous frown off her face…


	3. Romeo and Juliet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter THREE! Enjoy! :=)

******

Tom grunted as he leaned his weight against the stuck doors.

“You got it?” he grunted out.

“Yeah,” B’Elanna panted out “almost…got it!”

With a loud screeching sound, the doors finally slid open wide enough for both Tom and B’Elanna to squeeze through.

“Welcome to main engineering,” Tom panted out, sweeping his SIM beacon around the darkened room “messy” he noted as B’Elanna made her way to one of the consoles and, after giving it a few hard kicks, got the emergency lights up.

Grimacing, both she and Tom paused to examine the dead bodies of the ship’s crew scattered around the room.

“Tom” B’Elanna suddenly called, a haunted sound in her voice. Coming over, Tom felt a chill go down his spine at the sight of his dead doppelganger slumped over a console.

Leaning over, he examined the corpse’s uniform, noting the rank stripes on the sleeves.

“Sorry,” he murmured to the dead man as he scanned the body “dead, same way as the others” he pronounced

“I think I’m going to be sick” B’Elanna muttered.

“Yeah, you’re not the only one,” Tom agreed, glancing to the left of his dead doppelganger, he noticed a woman’s body slumped over the next console, one of her hands tightly clasped within the other Tom Paris’. Reaching out, Tom gently brushed some of the hair obscuring her face away, unsurprised but still sickened by what he found.

“B’Elanna” he murmured as he took in the Human, but otherwise identical face of B’Elanna’s own dead doppelganger.

“This is getting surreal,” B’Elanna muttered “look at this,” she held up the other Tom’s hand “wedding ring” she noted.

“Here too,” Tom noticed, gesturing to the other B’Elanna’s hand “they match. Looks like it’s not just their names and faces that are the same”

“OK, but how did they die?” B’Elanna wondered.

“Well, judging by these readings, I’d say it was some kind of radiation wave,” Tom explained, hefting the tricorder in his hands “but what kind of radiation could do this? I mean look around, there’s no burns on any of the bodies, the ship is otherwise intact” he sighed, raking a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Tom, come look at this” B’Elanna called.

Getting up, he spared to the two dead lovers one final sad glance before coming over to stand besides B’Elanna.

“Huh, looks like some kind of test chamber,” he noted as they both examined the tall, narrow cubical chamber set up against the far wall. It was made of transparent aluminum and appeared big enough for a person to fit inside with relative comfort.

“Look at this,” Tom nodded to the freestanding console set up next to the chamber “looks like this console is set up to monitor life signs” he noted.

“What are these?” B’Elanna asked, gesturing to the row of canisters of some kind to the left of the chamber, a large circular slot at one side of the chamber was big enough for one of the canisters to be slid into, clearly the two were meant to be used together, but for what purpose neither Tom or B’Elanna could guess.

Cautiously sliding one canister out of the rack, Tom examined it.

“What is that?” B’Elanna wondered as they peered inside the canister “a plant?”

“Looks like,” Tom agreed, scanning the strange sprout “yeah, according to the tricorder it is a plant, a fungus actually”

“Doesn’t look like much” B’Elanna noted, taking note of the fungus’s ordinary appearance, it didn’t glow, or shimmer, or in any other way look out of the ordinary from virtually any other kind of fungus found on dozens of worlds across the Alpha Quadrant.

“Let’s take it back with us” Tom suggested.

B’Elanna nodded in silent agreement…


	4. Attraction and Affliction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FOUR! Enjoy! :=)

******

Kathryn’s fingers restlessly drummed on the sides of her coffee mug. From this angle the viewports of her ready room gave her a full view of the other _Voyager_ as it lazily drifted through space.

Setting the mug down, she ran a tried hand across her face, letting out a muted groan, her thoughts turning, as they always seemed to this last year or so, to Seven of Nine.

When Seven had first been brought aboard she had fascinated Kathryn, there was some kind of…‘spark’, something unique buried beneath all those layers of Borg exo-plating. That spark had drawn Kathryn in, and as Seven had slowly grown and regained her humanity that spark had grown with her, slowly blooming into a bright glow of a human spirit.

And it was that spirit, that brilliant mind behind those bright blue eyes that Kathryn had fallen head over heels for. Except now it seemed that she had missed her chance.

Not that she blamed Chakotay of course, but she now knew that it was only a matter of time before Seven fell for someone else, someone better than a depressed, overly responsible starship captain.

Now feeling more depressed than usual, Kathryn picked up her coffee mug, scowling as a hail came over the comm.

“ _Sickbay to Captain Janeway_ ”

Sighing, Kathryn slapped her combadge.

“Yes, Doctor?”

“ _I found something interesting about our patient_ ” the EMH said.

“I’ll be right there” Kathryn sighed, downing the rest of her stale-coffee in one gulp…

******

“What am I looking at, Doctor?” Kathryn asked as she peered at the viewscreen “a virus?”

“No, but it is an infection,” The Doctor explained “it appears to be some kind of fungal infection” he explained.

“Is it contagious?” Kathryn asked, concerned.

“It doesn’t appear to be,” The Doctor dismissed “and furthermore I’ve found a way to neutralize it,” he explained as he loaded a hypospray and approached the resting Lt. Annika Hansen, pressing it to her neck.

As soon as the device hissed, Lt. Hansen bolted upright, reflexively grabbing at her neck, her expression shocked and terrified.

“What did you do?!” she demanded.

“Calm down,” The Doctor urged “I’ve merely neutralized the fungal infection that—” he was cut off as Lt. Hansen frantically scrambled off the biobed.

“No-no-no-no,” she panted, frantically tearing one sleeve open, staring in horror as a series of bright blue glowing lines began to spider-web up and down her arm. Gasping in clear pain, Lt. Hansen frantically pawed and swiped at the bizarre affliction as she spasmed and clutched at her arm as she doubled over, falling to her knees on the deck.

“No! Stay away!” she gasped out as Kathryn and The Doctor rushed forwards to help her, leaving them to watch in horror as the strange glowing affliction reached her shoulder and neck and began crawling up the side of her face, rapidly spreading across her torso as well.

With a great, violent jerk and a haunting, gurgling scream, she suddenly flopped back on the deck plating, the blue glow vanishing as swiftly as it had appeared in a series of slowly drifting motes of light, like embers from a fire.

Rushing towards her, The Doctor gapped as he scanned her limp form.

“She’s dead” she pronounced in a hollow voice…


	5. Divergent Paths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FIVE! Enjoy! :=)

******

“ _Daily log, Seven of Nine: Lieutenants Paris and Kim have begun a download of the other_ Voyager’s _computer core. However, owing the vast differences between 23rd century duotronic systems and_ Voyager’s _own isolinear and bio-neural circuitry the process is slow. In a related matter, Lt. Torres has begun an analysis of the other vessel’s engines_ ”

******

Seven absently turned as the doors to Astrometrics opened.

“Commander,” she greeted as Chakotay walked in “my report is not finished yet” she stated.

“That’s all right,” Chakotay dismissed “I came by to see you actually” he explained, coming over.

“You mean Lt. Hansen,” Seven stated “The Doctor has already been to see me” she explained, her tone flat.

Chakotay frowned at her.

“It really doesn’t bother you, does it?” he mused “hearing that she’s dead”

“Why should it?” Seven countered, never looking up from her console “I did not know her, she was merely another stranger”

“But that’s the thing,” Chakotay countered “she _was_ you”

Seven finally paused in her work, looking up at him.

“Was she?” she challenged “as we have seen, she worked aboard a different vessel, was a member of Starfleet, and had no known contact with the Collective. She was no more the same as me than you are”

Chakotay chuckled.

“No, I guess not,” he agreed “but,” he cautiously reached out, gently resting hand lightly on her shoulder “if you ever decide that you want to talk about it, you can always come to me if the Captain’s unavailable” he offered.

She glanced at his hand on her shoulder, as always clearly unnerved by physical contact, before she nodded slowly.

“Thank you, Chakotay” she said, her tone holding a hint of surprise. Sensing this, Chakotay smiled.

“Just because our relationship didn’t pan out, doesn’t mean that we still can’t be friends,” he pointed out as he pulled his hand away.

Still glancing at her shoulder, Seven finally smiled softly, nodding.

At that moment, the console chirped, catching both their attention.

“What is it?” Chakotay asked as she began working the console.

“The download and conversion of the duotronic data from the other _Voyager_ is partially complete,” she explained “I believe I can access some of the files”

“Let’s see it” he nodded.

With a chirp, the viewscreen lit up with an image of an older version of the Starfleet seal before disjointed, fragmented segments of text appeared on the screen.

“Curious,” Seven noted “it appears that in whatever reality they are from, history took a different path”

******

“A war?” Kathryn asked as she took the PADD from Seven.

“With both the Klingons and the Romulans it seems,” Chakotay pitched in “we haven’t fully decrypted all of the data, but it looks like in Lt. Hansen’s reality, the Federation has been at war with a combined Klingon—Romulan alliance” he explained.

“Klingons _and_ Romulans?” Kathryn echoed “well, that would certainly be more than a match for the Federation,” she noted “any idea what our counterparts’ out there role was in all of this?”

“It appears that the other _Voyager_ was designated as a testbed for various experimental technologies developed in the hopes of the ensuring a Federation victory,” Seven explained “one of which appeared to be a new method of propulsion”

“The drive that Lt. Hansen mentioned” Kathryn reasoned.

“So it would seem,” Seven nodded “it would also explain the extensive modifications to the vessel’s engines” she noted.

Kathryn nodded.

“Any word of this…fungus that Tom and B’Elanna found?” she asked.

“The Doctor is still examining it,” Chakotay explained “and so far we haven’t found anything in the datastream relating to it”

“The encryption is…unique” Seven noted.

Kathryn smirked.

“Like something you’d create, Seven?” she teased.

Seven visibly grimaced in clear annoyance.

“That is one possibility, yes” she admitted.

Kathryn and Chakotay smirked at each other.

“Commander, continue to corrdinate our recovery efforts,” she ordered “salvage what you can, every little bit helps”

“Aye” Chakotay nodded, turning to leave.

“Seven,” Kathryn called “stay a moment?”

Pausing, Seven turned back to face her, expectant as Kathryn stood up and grabbed a cup of coffee from the replicator.

“I was wondering how you’re doing with recent events” she began.

“As is Commander Chakotay,” Seven replied “and as I told him, I am not troubled by the Lt. Hansen’s death”

“Are you sure about that, Seven?” Kathryn pressed “these things do take time”

“Captain,” Seven began slowly “I...appreciate your concern, but it is misplaced. We should be more concerned with the other _Voyager’s_ appearance here in our reality and if more ships may also come through”

Sensing that she wasn’t going to win this one (not that she won most arguments with Seven) Kathryn nodded slowly, smirking.

“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me” she shrugged.

Seven nodded.

“Thank you, Captain”

“By the way,” Kathryn called as the young woman turned to leave “I’m glad to see that you’ve tried dating” she stated.

“But I did not succeed” Seven stated.

“No, not this time,” Kathryn agreed “but, someday, hopefully someday soon, you might find someone special” she declared.

For a moment, the air between the two women was suddenly thick with tension as they stared at one another, neither speaking. Finally, visisbly swallowing, Seven silently nodded before she turned on her heel and stepped out of the ready room.

Now alone, Kathryn let out a long sigh…

******

Exiting the ready room, Seven made her way to Ops, pausing to hand Harry a PADD containing another possible decryption sequence to use on the data from the other _Voyager_.

“Thanks, Seven,” he nodded “hey,” he stopped her as she turned to leave “you OK?” he asked, concerned “you look a little…flushed” he noted.

Seven frowned.

“I am…unsettled,” she admitted “this…situation is…unnerving” she explained.

“Yeah, you’re telling me” Harry chuckled as she turned to leave.

Stepping into the turbolift and ordering it back down to Astrometrics, Seven leaned her head against the wall of the car, letting out a long sigh of her own as images of what she had wanted to do with the Captain in the ready room moments ago flashed before her minds’ eye, primarily thoughts and images of kissing Kathryn.

Letting out a shuddering breath as the turbolift doors slid open, she composed herself and stepped out…


	6. Unnecessary Risks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter SIX! Warning for mention of the first space dog, Laika

******

It was well into the gamma shift, Seven knew that she should probably go and regenerate soon, the risk of her cranial implants depolarizing growing every second, but she found herself unable to tear herself away from her work. She had not been lying to Chakotay when she said that Lt. Hansen’s death had not bothered her, but Lt. Hansen’s very existence bothered her deeply.

Her presence and the presence of the alternate _Voyager_ and its crew upset Seven’s sensibilities, her preexisting knowledge base was thrown for a loop; knowing that alternate realities and parallel universes existed according to quantum theories and being confronted with physical proof their existence were two entirely different things.

Looking up as another segment of data successfully downloaded and decrypted, Seven accessed it, finding that it was a section of the ship’s personnel files; the crew manifest and portions of their personal logs.

Reaching out, Seven paused, her hand hovering over the controls to access the personal logs, she suddenly felt like she was intruding, reading files that were intended to the loved ones of the other ship’s dead crew, files that contained their innermost thoughts and feelings.

Sighing quietly in resignation, she set the personal logs aside for now, instead accessing the crew manifest, unsurprised when the list of officers matched that of _Voyager’s_ with some exceptions; the alternate Tom Paris for example was an engineer rather than the ship’s helmsmen, and her own counterpart was the ship’s senior science offer.

Curious, she accessed her counterpart’s personnel file, reading a list of scientific accomplishments that equaled some of the Federation’s top scientists; accreditation from the Vulcan Science Academy, top marks from the Daystrom Institute, and most notably, she was listed as being currently attached to the Theoretical Propulsion Group at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on Mars.

Intrigued, Seven accessed that portion of the file, finding that it was restricted to Starfleet admiralty. Hiding her smirk, she easily bypassed the encryption and the information began scrolling down the screen.

Frowning, she tapped her combadge.

“Seven of Nine to The Doctor”

“ _Go ahead_ ”

“Doctor, have you completed your analysis of the fungus that Lts. Torres and Paris brought over from the other _Voyager_?”

“ _I’m still in the midst in it,_ ” he answered “ _why do you ask?_ ”

“I believe that I have information that may pertain to it” Seven replied…

******

“An _organic_ propulsion system?” Kathryn asked as she and her decidedly sleepy senior staff gathered around the conference table, the canister that Tom and B’Elanna had retrieved from the other _Voyager_ now sitting in the center of the table.

“It would seem so,” The Doctor nodded “my analysis seems to indicate that the mycelium of this fungus—the ‘roots’ if you will—extend down past the microscopic level into a distinct subspace domain,” he explained “in essence, forming a network between it and other samples of the fungus throughout the galaxy”

“It’s like a web spreading out across the galaxy,” Harry picked up around a muffled yawn “kinda like…shortcuts through subspace” he added.

“How ‘short’ are we talking about here, Harry?” Tom wondered.

“My analysis of the log entries from the other _Voyager_ indicate that, during the first test of the drive, the vessel traversed a distance of 1.3 light-years in less than two seconds” Seven explained.

A sudden silence went through the room as the implications of her statement slowly hit home.

“Wait,” B’Elanna spoke up “are we all thinking the same thing here?” she wondered.

“One point three light-years in less than two seconds,” Tom murmured “with some modifications to the engines…” he trailed off, looking excited.

“We could be back in the Alpha Quadrant before dinner” Harry finished, grinning.

“Now, hold on a minute,” Kathryn held up a hand “let’s not get ahead of ourselves here,” she warned “remember, Lt. Hansen and the rest of her crewmates all _died_ after using this drive. Not to mention that we still don’t know the potential risks of this fungus”

“That’s true,” The Doctor added “my analysis of the fungal infection of Lt. Hansen’s body indicates that it was intentional; apparently this ‘organic propulsion’ system requires a Human component: apparently Lt. Hansen intentional infected herself with spores of the fungus in order to act as some sort of ‘intermediary’ between the spores and the ship; acting as a sort of ‘living navigational’ system if you will” he explained.

“Is that why she died?” Harry asked “the fungus killed her?”

“No,” The Doctor shook his head “apparently, after a certain point, the fungus forms a symbiotic relationship with its host. Eventually, it appears that the host’s body becomes dependent of the fungus’s presence,” he explained “in essence,” he sighed “my attempt to kill the fungal spores in her body is what killed her”

“It wasn’t your fault, Doctor, you couldn’t have known” Kathryn reassured him.

“So, to summarize, even if we do decide to use this drive, we’ll still need someone to act as a part of the system” Chakotay mused.

“That would seem to the crux of the matter, yes” The Doctor nodded.

“Seven, you’ve been quiet during this,” Kathryn noted “what’s your thoughts on all of this?” she wondered.

Seven took a breath, clearly unnerved at being put on the spot.

“It appears to me that the potential risks outweigh the potential benefits,” she began “to risk the safety of the entire crew on the ‘possibility’ that we may return to the Alpha Quadrant in a matter of moments is…unwise” she stated.

Kathryn nodded slowly, smiling.

“Well, I have to say that I agree with you,” she began “that being said, I have to admit that the temptation to use this drive is pretty strong” she admitted.

“You wish to use it despite the hazards” Seven stated, her tone accusatory.

“In essence, yes,” Kathryn nodded “that being said, I want more information before we proceed,” she turned to B’Elanna and Tom “B’Elanna, Tom, work with Harry on trying to unravel more of the data on this system, if we can avoid whatever problem the other _Voyager_ ran into maybe we can use it safely,” she stated “Doctor, I want you to continue your analysis of the fungus, see if we can find a way of avoiding having to infect someone in order to use it”

“Aye, Captain”

“Seven, work with Tuvok and Chakotay on decrypting the data from the other _Voyager_ , try to get us more information, these people were working with this drive for at least several months longer than us, let’s try and avoid any mistakes that they may have made,”

She glanced around the room, seeing no objections.

“Right,” she declared “it should go without saying that I want all of you to keep quiet about this to the rest of the crew, no use in getting anyone’s hopes up for something that might turn out to be nothing. Dismissed,”

As the rest of the staff filed out, Seven lingered behind.

“Something on your mind?” Kathryn asked.

“I find your insistence on using the drive despite the obvious hazards to be foolish” Seven stated.

“Perhaps,” Kathryn nodded “but, throughout Human history, people have achieved great accomplishments by doing something that, at the time, was considered ‘foolish’. The Wright brothers achieved powered flight by building a primitive aircraft in their basement”

“And how many of those ‘great accomplishments’ were achieved only after people had died?” Seven countered “Earth’s first successful attempt at orbital flight of a Human was only achieved through the death of a living creature, the dog Laika, whose death could have easily been avoided”

“Perhaps,” Kathryn allowed “but, as tragic as Laika’s death was, it did prove that Humans could survive in space and paved the way for the Moon landings and the eventual colonization of space”

Huffing out an annoyed breath, Seven seemed to give up, standing up.

“Be careful, Captain,” she warned “and be certain that your desire to use this propulsion system is one that is not being made out of the guilt you feel at stranding your ship and your crew here in the Delta Quadrant”

Not giving Kathryn a chance to reply, she turned and stalked out of the room. Leaving Kathryn feeling more than a little disturbed at how right Seven had been.

How had Seven come to know her so well?

And how had she come to not know herself?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Soviet space dog Laika was the first living creature in space and the first to die there too, owing to the fact that her capsule was built without any reentry capability, she was destined to die up there, and no matter how great of an accomplishment her flight may have been for science and exploration, it still doesn't excuse the fact that no attempt was made to even try and ensure that Laika could come back home.
> 
> In 1998. Oleg Gazenko, one of the Soviet scientists responsible for sending Laika into space expressed regret at her death, stating:
> 
> " _Work with animals is a source of suffering to all of us. We treat them like babies who cannot speak. The more time passes, the more I'm sorry about it. We shouldn't have done it ... We did not learn enough from this mission to justify the death of the dog_ "
> 
> Just some food for thought, folks


	7. Counterparts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter SEVEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

Cargo Bay Two was usually pretty quiet and empty, even before Seven had come aboard, now even more so. Most of the crew, either out of respect or unease, tried to avoid the cargo bay and the bay itself was now largely used to store Borg-related items, including the ship’s resident former Borg drone.

Standing by her terminal, Seven scowled as most of her search for any information relating to the other _Voyager’s_ propulsion system turned up zero results. Deciding that she was being too narrow, she expanded her search criteria, startled when one result came up, paper written by scientist in 2240 at the University of California, Berkley with a college at the Vulcan Science Academy.

The paper was a theory on the use of quantum entanglement to travel through space. The idea was that, using a heavily modified warp drive, a starship could access the invisible ‘threads’ that bonded objects through the subatomic realm and by essentially ‘surfing’ these threads a ship could travel to and from two distant points at speeds much faster than traditional warp drive.

Unfortunately for the two scientists, the Federation’s mainstream scientific community—still working largely from Vulcan principles—hadn’t put much stock in the idea and denied the pair funding and permission to pursue their theory, and soon, the idea had been buried in the Federation archives, left as a curiosity.

Finishing her perusal of the paper, Seven noted that it seemed that the pair had been vindicated, albeit indirectly. Closing the file, she noted that the other _Voyager’s_ personal logs had yet to be accessed. Still feeling trepidation, she accessed the alternate Captain Janeway’s logs, the alternate woman’s voice filling the room.

“ _Personal Log: Captain Kathryn Janeway. Starfleet has assigned a ‘Dr. Annika Hansen’ to the ship. Supposedly she’s found a way that can win this goddamn war. I don’t know if that’s true, but after meeting her I can say that she’s certainly arrogant enough to make that claim_ ”

The log entry ended another starting up.

“ _Lt. Hansen is certainly making her presence known. For a Starfleet officer, she’s one the most stubborn I’ve ever met. Already she’s started a fight with Lt. Torres, who’s threatened to send her to sickbay if the good doctor sets foot in the engine room again_ ”

“ _I’ve just had dinner with Lt. Hansen, and I can say that, despite all her bravado, all her arrogance, she seems…scared, almost like she’s unsure of what to do around other people_ ”

The next entry, the captain’s voice had a distinct slur to it, as if she had been drinking before making the recording

“ _Lt. Hansen escorted me back to my quarters this evening. I’ll admit that I was more than a little tipsy. Annika’s new drive was incredibly successful, one point three light-years in less than two seconds. By god, at this rate, we really will win the war,_ ”

There was a lengthy pause before she continued speaking.

“ _I kissed her good night,_ ” the recording continued “ _god, I don’t know what I was thinking, she’s a member of my crew and plus we’re in the middle of a goddamned war. But…what’s even worse is that she kissed me back. Now, I’m not sure what I’m going to do now_ ”

“ _There are no further log entries_ ” the computer intoned.

Seven looked up, startled.

“Computer, confirm previous statement” she ordered.

“ _No further log entries were made after stardate 225300.1_ ”

“What about the officer’s logs?” Seven insisted.

“ _No official log entries were made after stardate 225300.1_ ”

“Query log entries, personal logs, Lt. Annika Hansen, stardate…225201.3” Seven instructed. Instantly, the recorded voice of her doppelganger began speaking.

“ _Captain Janeway kissed me good night after I walked her back to her quarters and…I kissed her back,_ ” there was a pause, a short breath “ _I kissed her back. God! What the fuck was I thinking?! Half the crew already thinks she’s showing me favoritism and I kiss her back?!_ ” she groaned in clear frustration before continuing “ _Christ, I am so getting fired_ ” she groaned as the entry ended.

“ _No further entries match search parameters_ ” the computer intoned.

Sighing quietly, Seven reached to shut down her terminal, but paused as she noticed that someone else was accessing the same log entries that she had. Pulling up the data, she found it was the Captain who listening to the two personal log entries.

Finding herself smiling at this knowledge, Seven shut down the terminal and then stepped into her alcove…

******

Kathryn sighed as Lt. Hansen’s personal log ended. She’d been up half the night listening to the personal logs of both her doppelganger and Lt. Hansen, and felt more than a little sad at the knowledge that her counterpart and Lt. Hansen had been unable to explore their attraction before they had both died.

Downing her stale, cold coffee, she closed out the file and, standing up on stiff knees, walked to the viewports, staring out at the stars and the other _Voyager_ , which had had its attitude control restored and now silently maintained station-keeping ‘in front’ of the ship.

Leaning against the viewport, Kathryn sighed, the knowledge that something ‘could’ happen between her and Seven now weighing on her mind. It stood to reason that if it had happened to their counterparts, it could—in theory—happen between her and Seven.

Breaking her vigil, she recycled her coffee cup and then shuffled on tiredly to bed, thoughts of Seven revolving in her head…


	8. Slow Going

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter EIGHT! Enjoy! :=)

******

Tom muffled a groan as he stepped into his quarters, the sound of B’Elanna’s voice reaching him as the doors slid open. Seeing that she was sitting on the couch, silent, he quickly realized that she was no doubt listening to her counterpart’s log entries.

Seeing him, she sat up, fumbling for the PADD by her knee as she stopped the recitation.

“Sorry,” she apologized “just…” she trailed off with a weak, embarrassed chuckle.

“You too, huh?” he mused as he joined her on the couch “yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone who knew about what happened over there was doing the same thing” he commented.

“Well, maybe not Tuvok” B’Elanna pointed out.

“No,” Tom chuckled “not him. But Seven might”

“You think so?” she asked.

Tom nodded.

“I do,” he confirmed “she’s been…I don’t know…flustered since we came across the antique out there,” he explained as he stood up and went over to the replicator “and when have you ever seen Seven flustered?” he continued as he came back with a bowl of tomato soup.

“That’s true,” B’Elanna acknowledged “I guess this whole thing’s put everyone on edge” she mused.

“Yeah,” Tom sighed between sips of soup “guess so. I caught Harry listening to his double’s log this afternoon”

“That figures,” B’Elanna snorted “you know what the really disturbing part of this is? These are only the most recent log entries,” she gave the PADD a little shake for emphasis “who knows what else we’ll find once we get all the data” she mused.

“Now that’s scary” Tom noted…

******

“ _0600 hours. Regeneration cycle complete_ ”

Seven blinked awake with a slight gasp. Her dreams had been disjointed, a fragmented mix of disturbing images and sounds that had left her emotionally and mentally drained. Stepping off the dais, she made her way to her terminal, noting that more of the other _Voyager’s_ data had been downloaded and decrypted during the night.

She had just pulled up the file index when the doors to the cargo bay slid open.

“Ah, good morning, Seven” The Doctor greeted cheerfully as he strode in.

“Doctor,” she acknowledged “what are you doing?” she asked as he proceeded scanning her with a tricorder.

“I’ve made some interesting discoveries about our fungal friend,” he began “it seems that not just anyone can be injected with the spores, only certain individuals who possess a unique genetic mutation” he explained.

“And now you are screening the crew to see who among us possesses this mutation” Seven reasoned.

“Exactly right” he beamed at her.

“You still have not found a way to avoid using a Human component?” Seven asked as he shut tricorder with a _snap_ and opened his medkit and withdrew a hypospray.

“Not as of yet, no,” he answered “regrettably, if we’re to use this propulsion system we may be forced to rely on the same methods that our counterparts used,” he explained as he swiftly drew a blood sample from her “remarkable to think about isn’t it?” he mused as he finished drawing the blood “a reality with another _Voyager_ , yet one still in the midst of the 23rd century. No holodecks, no me for that matter, and no contact with the Borg either”

“You’re more than welcome to go there” Seven drawled as he closed the medkit, the sarcasm just dripping in her tone.

“Hmm,” he chuckled “your sense of humor is getting better” he noted…

******

Kathryn stepped into her ready room feeling more than a little sleep-deprived. Making a beeline for the replicator, she barked out an order for an extra large, extra hot coffee to replace the one she had finished in the turbolift.

Wincing slightly as steam from the mug wafted across her face, she sat down at her desk and turned on her terminal, finding a request from Harry and B’Elanna for more help in the salvage operations of the other _Voyager_. Signing off on the request, she leaned back in her chair and, as she sipped her coffee, found her thoughts turning to Seven.

She wondered if Seven had the same feelings for her that Lt. Hansen had obviously had for her Kathryn Janeway? And if Seven _did_ share the same feelings, would she be willing to act on them? Would Kathryn being willing to act on her own feelings now?

Questions and even more questions, the motto of the Delta Quadrant it seemed she mused with a rueful chuckle.

Setting her coffee aside, she set aside thoughts of Seven aside as well for the time being and began to tackle the stack of departmental reports that had been steadily growing since last Tuesday.

Of last June…

******

Harry rubbed at his eyes, it was only 1200 hours and he already felt like he’d been awake for days.

“OK,” he sighed “let’s go over this again,” he entered the calculation again and groaned as the computer, yet again, flashed an error message across the viewscreen “come on!” Harry groaned.

“Fighting with the computer again, Harry?” B’Elanna asked as she rounded the warp core over to him.

“The computer won’t accept the data from the other _Voyager_ about the new propulsion system,” he explained “I don’t whether its because the hardware’s outdated or…” he trailed off.

“Or…?” B’Elanna pushed.

“… _Or_ if it’s because it really _is_ impossible” he sighed.

“Maybe you should take a break” B’Elanna suggested.

“I’m fine” he grumbled.

“No, you’re not,” she plucked the PADD from his hands “go take a break, Harry” she said firmly.

“I can’t” he insisted.

“Look,” B’Elanna sighed “I want to get home as much as you, but a few hours isn’t going to make any difference,” she reminded “besides, we don’t even know if this thing will work,” she added “take a break, Harry. That’s an order”

Defeated, Harry sighed heavily as he trudged out of Engineering. Watching him go, B’Elanna glanced down at the PADD still in her hand, shaking her head at the complex equations on it…


	9. Moving Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter NINE! Enjoy! :=)

******

The piano gleamed in the firelight as Seven played. The holographic library was decorated in rich dark wood offset with large stained glass windows. The large stone fireplace filled the room with simulated warmth and an orange glow that reflected off the glossy black finish of the grand piano sitting on one corner of the large room.

As holoprograms went it was surprisingly detailed for one that Seven had created, a fact that would no doubt surprise many, if not most, of the crew if they ever found out about it.

Reaching up to reset the metronome, Seven froze as the doors to the holodeck slid open, Kathryn Janeway walking inside.

“Oh” she said as she came to a sudden stop.

For a moment, both women stared at each other, each unsure of what to do next.

“Captain” Seven acknowledged.

“Seven,” Kathryn replied “I hardly recognized you without your implants,” she noted with a chuckle as she stepped forward into the simulated library “did you create all this yourself?” she asked, the awe and wonder in her voice clear.

“I did” Seven replied as Kathryn slowly sat down beside her on the piano bench.

“And the holographic mask?” Kathryn asked, gesturing vaguely to Seven’s face.

Seven reached up self-consciously to touch the place where her ocular implant would be.

“I wanted to be…more Human” she admitted quietly.

“What makes you think that you’re not?” Kathryn challenged, looking at Seven questioningly.

“I have seen how the members of the crew still stare at me,” Seven admitted “they are still…afraid of me”

“Then that’s their problem,” Kathryn declared “not any of yours. You shouldn’t feel the need to change yourself to make others feel better”

Seven ducked her head, a faint blush tainting her cheeks.

“Thank you, Captain” she murmured.

“ _Bridge to Janeway_ ”

Looking annoyed at the interruption, Kathryn tapped her combadge.

“Go ahead”

“ _We’re just about ready here,_ ” Chakotay explained “ _thought you’d like to be present during the ceremony_ ”

“I’m on my way” Kathryn replied as she closed the channel.

“Ceremony?” Seven questioned as they both stood up, Seven’s holographic dress rustling, the shiny blue fabric catching the flickering firelight, momentary distracting Kathryn.

“Oh, sorry,” she apologized as she also stood up, suddenly feeling very plain as she stood next to Seven even in her dress uniform “we’ve salvaged what we could from the other _Voyager_ ,” she explained as they stepped out of the holodeck and into the corridor, Seven’s dress vanishing to be replaced with her brown biosuit, her implants reappearing as well.

“But,” Kathryn continued as they headed for the turbolift “we can’t leave Federation technology floating around for anybody to find”

“You’re going to destroy it” Seven reasoned as they stepped into the turbolift.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Kathryn nodded “and, it seems only fitting to commemorate the ship and its crew before we do so” as they stepped off the turbolift and onto the Bridge.

“Captain” Chakotay acknowledged as Kathryn and Seven came down to join him and the rest of the senior staff. The room was silent, the crew standing at attention as the other _Voyager_ drifted by on the viewscreen.

“Attention!”

The Bridge crew snapped to attention as a boatswain’s whistle was sounded.

Clearing her throat, Kathryn took a step forward.

“Today, we commemorate the passing of Captain Kathryn Janeway and her crew,” she began “it is our sincere hope that their sacrifice will not be in vain, that with the information we’ve gained from their ship we will be able to not only return home, but pave new paths among the stars, and explore strange new worlds,”

She took a breath, commemorating a fallen crewmember was always hard, and commemorating the death of her counterpart and her crew was downright surreal.

“Mr. Tuvok,” she began “you may fire when ready”

“Aye, Captain” Tuvok nodded.

A few seconds later, the tactical console chirped as a spread of photon torpedoes streaked across the void to strike the other U.S.S. _Voyager_ , obliterating it in a spectacular fireball.

Letting out a breath, Kathryn looked towards Harry.

“Mr. Kim?” she asked.

“A few pieces of debris and trace amounts of antimatter,” he nodded “nothing of value for anybody” he reported.

“Well then,” Kathryn sighed “now it’s time we move onto other business” she declared…

******

“Doctor, are you absolutely _sure_ that there’s no other way?” Kathryn asked as she looked around the conference table.

“I’m afraid not, Captain,” The Doctor sighed “the only person out of the entire crew who can successfully bond with the spores is Seven of Nine,” he explained “however,” he added “I’m reasonably certain that her nanoprobes will prevent any dependency of the spores from developing”

“ _‘Reasonably certain’_?” B’Elanna echoed “you’re asking us to risk everything on a _guess_?”

“I’m afraid that we won’t be certain until we actually try it” The Doctor admitted.

“So, in other words,” Tom began “either we all die horribly from massive radiation poisoning, or we get home but Seven could become dependent on a fungus to live” he stated.

“That about sums it up” The Doctor nodded.

All eyes slowly turned towards Seven.

“Well, Seven,” Chakotay began “it looks like it’s your choice. What do you say?”

Seven frowned, considering the matter.

“As a drone, my duty was to serve the Collective,” she began “to help further the Collective’s purpose, even now on _Voyager_ that has not changed,” she set her jaw determinedly “I agree to submit to the experiment” she stated.

“Seven,” Kathryn began “we honestly don’t know what could happen,” she warned “you could die”

Seven smirked.

“As you have frequently reminded me, Captain, Starfleet’s mission involves taking risks” she pointed out.

Despite herself, Kathryn couldn’t help but return the smirk as she turned to The Doctor.

“Doctor, when can you begin?” she asked.

“Well, once Mr. Kim and Lt. Torres have finished modifying the engines, I can began Seven’s inoculations” he explained.

Kathryn turned to B’Elanna and Harry.

“B’Elanna?” she asked.

“We’ve managed to replicate most of the modifications the other crew made to their engines,” B’Elanna began “but, like The Doc said, we won’t know if it’ll work until we turn it on” she pointed out.

Kathryn frowned.

“Well, seems to me that we don’t have much a choice,” she remarked dryly “let’s get started. Dismissed”

As the senior staff filed out, she lingered behind, standing up to look out the viewport, noting with some irony that pieces of the debris from the other _Voyager_ was lazily drifting past.

“Captain?”

Blinking, she turned to find Seven had remained behind.

“You are upset at my decision” she stated.

“In a way, yes,” Kathryn nodded “I care for you, Seven,” she admitted “I care for everyone on this ship,” she added “and I don’t like seeing anyone under my command taking unnecessary risks,” she sighed “but,” she began “you’re no longer a drone, you’re an individual now, capable of making your own choices, not much I could do to stop you”

“You could order me to not submit to the experiment” Seven pointed out.

“I could,” Kathryn acknowledged “but, as you said, Starfleet isn’t about playing it safe,” she sighed as she leaned against the table “that being said, if at any time during this experiment you feel unsure about something, don’t feel afraid to speak up about it, don’t feel that your own well-being isn’t important”

“I understand, Captain” Seven nodded.

Kathryn smirked.

“Well then,” she sighed “let’s get started”


	10. Threads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're BACK! Chapter TEN! Enjoy! :=)

******

Kathryn’s hand nervously drummed an unsteady rhythm against her thigh as the turbolift seemed to crawl its way to Engineering. She must be out of her mind she decided, letting Seven do something so dangerous, they didn’t even know if this damn drive would work after all!

Smoothing her scowl into an expression of open indifference as the turbolift slid to a stop, she stepped out into Engineering. The room was surprisingly crowded, with various crewmembers hard at work on setting up the new propulsion system. Coming to a stop, Kathryn surveyed the work, a large ‘cage’ of sorts now surrounded the warp core, various thick cables sprawled across the floor down from the ‘cage’ towards a large, transparent ‘cube’ of sorts which stood just up against the railing surrounding the warp core, a reclining chair of sorts stood inside the ‘cage’.

Cocking a hand on her hip, Kathryn looked around the vast conglomeration of spare parts and odds and ends in amazement that, when all put together, made for a surprisingly less-than-impressive sight that looked more like it belonged in Tom’s _Captain Proton_ holoprogram than in a Federation starship.

“Doesn’t look all that impressive, does it?” she remarked.

“Not really, no” Harry agreed with a chuckle as he double-checked the cables connecting the ‘cube’ to the ‘cage’.

“It had better work,” B’Elanna added as she passed by, rapidly crossing behind Kathryn only to absently trip over something “damn it!” she scowled at the tool kit she had just tripped over “this thing had better work,” she reiterated “otherwise it’ll be a huge mess” she complained.

“If it doesn’t work, can we get the warp engines back to normal?” Kathryn asked.

“We should,” Harry nodded “the modifications are actually relatively minor,” he explained “once we replicated the parts, it only took about an hour to do it all”

“Only an hour, really?” Kathryn asked in surprise.

“Yep,” Harry nodded as he connected another component “OK,” he stood up with a slight groan of stiff joints “I’d better get to the Bridge,” he nodded to himself “ma’am” he nodded politely to Kathryn as he passed her by.

Nodding back in reply, Kathryn bit her lip as she assessed the conglomeration, turning as a familiar set of footsteps approached her from behind.

“Seven” she acknowledged.

“Captain” Seven nodded back.

“So,” Kathryn began “how’s this work exactly?”

“I will enter the isolation chamber,” Seven began, nodding towards the ‘cube’ next to the warp core “once inside, The Doctor will intravenously administer a dosage of the spores as well flood the chamber itself with a larger sample. Once the spores inside the chamber reach a specific density, the drive can be activated” she explained.

Kathryn nodded, frowning.

“Once activated, how will we navigate?” she asked.

“ _I_ will navigate,” Seven explained “according to Lt. Hansen’s log entries, the spores exist in a quantum level of subspace, a realm where both thought and matter coexist and interact”

Kathryn nodded slowly in understanding.

“So, in other words, if I understand you correctly, all you have to do is simply ‘think’ of a destination and we’ll go there?” Kathryn reasoned.

Seven frowned.

“A simplistic, if apt, description” she nodded.

Kathryn smirked.

“Well then, just make sure that you’re thinking of the Alpha Quadrant when you’re inside there,” she remarked, giving Seven a pat on the shoulder, finding herself lingering a bit longer than usual or than was strictly appropriate, enjoying the feel of muscles moving beneath the rough texture of Seven’s biosuit.

Seven, however, merely glanced at Kathryn’s hand on her shoulder curiously, but made no move to pull away or remove the appendage, and it was only the increasing stares from B’Elanna and her crew that finally made Kathryn pull back.

“Well then,” she coughed “looks like I’m needed on the Bridge”

“Of course, Captain,” Seven nodded “you are welcome to stay and observe” she offered.

It was tempting, but Kathryn shook her head.

“I’m needed on the Bridge” she repeated.

“Of course” Seven nodded…

******

The Bridge was thick with tension as Kathryn stepped off the turbolift.

“Captain” Chakotay nodded politely in acknowledgement as she stepped down to join him.

“Status, Commander?” she asked.

“We’re just about ready here,” he replied as they both settled down in the command chairs “once Seven and The Doctor are ready, we’ll start with the test run” he continued.

“What’s our first destination, Tom?” Kathryn wondered.

“Not too far,” Tom replied from the helm “a star about fourty-four light-years away”

“At standard warp, that trip would take us about an hour or so” Harry picked up.

“But with this new drive, we should be there in a few seconds” Kathryn reasoned.

“ _Doctor to Bridge_ ”

“Go ahead, Doctor” Kathryn replied.

“ _We’re about ready here,_ ” The Doctor replied as, down in Engineering, he circled the isolation chamber where Seven stood “just give the word, Captain” he continued.

Nervously drumming her fingers on the armrest of her chair, Kathryn took a breath.

“Seven?” she called “how are you doing?”

“ _I am impatient, Captain_ ” Seven replied from within the isolation chamber, the intravenous cannula having already been attached to her arm, the sensation of the old-fashioned needle piercing her skin was, even with the local anesthetic, unpleasant, and she reached up and absently rubbed at her arm.

“May we proceed, Captain?” she asked, the impatience clear in her voice.

Hiding her chuckle, Kathryn glanced at Chakotay.

“If this works, then what?” she wondered.

“If this works, then…homeward bound” he shrugged.

“We think that the other crew got too overeager,” Harry pitched in “rather than make one big jump, we’ll be making a series of smaller jumps” he explained.

“How many jumps are we talking about here, Harry?” Kathryn asked.

“That’s the problem,” he admitted “probably up to at least forty or even one hundred in order to reach the border of the Alpha Quadrant” he explained

“Which means longer exposure,” Kathryn reasoned “wonderful,” she muttered. She took a breath “well then, let’s give this a shot,” she declared “Seven? You can proceed”

“ _Understood, Captain_ ” Seven replied. As the channel closed, she looked over at The Doctor and nodded.

Looking apprehensive, the EMH readied the IV.

“If you feel any kind of unusual sensation, tell me immediately” he instructed.

“This entire situation is an ‘unusual sensation’,” Seven pointed “proceed” she nodded.

Taking a breath (even though he didn’t need to breathe), The Doctor activated the IV, a stream of blue, glowing motes of light flowed through the tubing and into the chamber and into Seven’s arm.

“Well?” he asked.

Frowning, she nodded shakily,

“It is…cold,” she stated “but, I am…well”’

“Lieutenant,” The Doctor glanced at B’Elanna “we’re ready”

Taking a breath of her own, B’Elanna grabbed one of the canisters of spores and slid it into the slot in the side of the isolation chamber, blue glowing motes of lights, like fireflies, rapidly filling the chamber, swarming around Seven as if guided to her somehow.

Stepping back, B’Elanna tapped her combadge.

“Torres to Bridge, we’re all ready down here” she reported.

“Understood,” Kathryn replied. She took a breath “Seven…whenever you’re ready” she called out.

Down in Engineering, in the isolation chamber, the blue glowing spores rapidly swarming around her in an ever-growing cloud, Seven took a breath as the spores seemed to link together, expanding and growing into a series of threads that grew and spread, filling the chamber as the chamber itself and the rest of _Voyager_ seemed to fall away in her mind’s eye.

Gasping in silent awe at the twisting, tangling web of threads now surrounding her, Seven reached out with a shaking hand, one finger reaching out towards a bright point of light, drawing it towards her, or perhaps she was drawing towards it, she couldn’t tell, not anymore…

******

Up on the Bridge, Kathryn frowned, not feeling any kind of sensation, not the familiar jolt of a jump to high warp, or even the slight shudder of deceleration. In fact, she didn’t feel…anything.

“We’re there,” Tom sudden announced “all stop”

Kathryn glanced at Chakotay, his face mirroring her own surprise.

“On screen” she ordered.

As the viewscreen activated, a star that most decidedly hadn’t been there before gleamed bright and brilliant in the darkness.

“I’ll be damned” Tom swore quietly.

“Janeway to Engineering, Doctor, report” Kathryn called.

In Engineering, The Doctor frowned as he studied Seven’s vital signs, nodding to himself.

“Seven?” he asked.

Letting out a slow breath, Seven reclined against the chair, nodding.

“I am…undamaged,” she breathed “Captain, with your permission, I’d like to continue” she called.

Kathryn frowned.

“Are you sure, Seven?” she asked.

“Yes,” Seven nodded even though Kathryn couldn’t see her “I am”

Kathryn’s frown deepened, but she nodded.

“All right,” she agreed “but, remember, keep it to a series of short jumps,” she reminded the former drone “don’t get too overconfident” she warned.

“I am Borg,” Seven replied “ _‘overconfidence’_ is the natural state of the Collective” she dead-panned, which caused all who heard her to smirk.

Settling back into her chair, Kathryn nodded to herself.

“Seven,” she called “proceed”

On the viewscreen, the star they had been orbiting suddenly vanished, ‘winking’ out of existence to be replaced by a planet of some sort.

“We have now moved a distance of thirty light-years” Tuvok reported.

“Status, Harry?” Chakotay asked.

“No signs of damage yet, Commander” Harry replied.

“Seven?” Kathryn called “how are you doing?”

“ _Well,_ ” Seven replied as she let out a slow breath “permission to proceed?” she asked.

“Doctor?” Kathryn called.

“ _Her vitals are stable,_ ” the EMH reported “ _however, I am detecting a slight increase in adrenaline_ ” he added.

“Seven?” Kathryn questioned.

“I am well,” Seven replied, her tone slightly annoyed “permission to proceed?”

Still feeling unsure, Kathryn nodded.

“Proceed” she replied, the planet they were orbiting winking out of existence seconds later, empty space filling the screen.

“We have now moved a distance of fifty-eight light-years” Tuvok reported.

“I’m detecting slight buckling on the port nacelle” Harry reported.

“Seven…,” Kathryn warned “I said keep it short,” she reminded the young woman as the empty space vanished again, a binary star system filling the viewscreen seconds later, a slight jolt running through the ship at the sudden gravitational pull “Seven, I don’t recall saying you could continue,” Kathryn called “Seven?” she called.

The binary stars vanished, a nebula appearing in their place.

“Seven?” Kathryn called again as Tuvok announced that they had moved nearly ninety light-years from their last position.

“Bridge to Engineering,” Chakotay called “B’Elanna, report,” he frowned when no answer came “Harry?”

“Internal communications are down, Commander,” Harry announced as a sudden jolt ran through the ship “hull fractures on Decks 15 and fourteen” he announced.

“I’m going down there,” Kathryn announced, already halfway towards the turbolift “Harry? Get those comlines back up, I want to know what the hell is going on” she ordered as the turbolift doors closed…

******

The turbolift seemed to take forever to reach Engineering, and by the time the doors opened, Kathryn all but threw herself out of them, rushing out into Engineering to find the room in chaos. Alarms screamed as crewmembers rushed to and fro.

“Doctor! What the hell is going on?!” Kathryn demanded as she rushed up the EMH.

“Her heart rate is spiking rapidly,” The Doctor explained “and her neocortex is undergoing massive activity” he added.

“Shut it down,” Kathryn ordered “do it!”

“No!” Seven suddenly called from within the chamber, her voice strained, her body visibly tense and rigid. Panting harshly, she turned and locked eyes with Kathryn “I _can_ do this” she pleaded.

“No,” Kathryn shook her head “I won’t risk your life for a shortcut home,” she explained “Doctor, shut it down” she repeated.

“Right,” the EMH nodded, fingers rapidly flying over the console in front of him “I’m flooding her bloodstream with a dose of nanoprobes, they should neutralize the spores without harming her,” he explained “done” he announced.

A sudden, violent jolt hit the ship hard.

“B’Elanna, are the comlines back up yet?” Kathryn demanded.

“Way ahead of you,” B’Elanna replied “Torres to Bridge, what’s going up there?”

“ _We’re caught in the gravity well of an unstable star,_ ” Chakotay replied “ _thrusters and impulse engines are down_ ”

“Damn it,” Kathryn cursed “Seven?” she turned as another alarm began to sound, feeling her stomach lurch at the sight of Seven suddenly convulsing “Seven! Doctor!”

“I’m administrating twelve CCs of hyperzine!” The Doctor announced as Seven’s eyes visibly rolled into the back of her head, her whole body arcing up until only her head and heels were touching the surface of the chair.

Another jolt suddenly ran through the ship as Seven suddenly relaxed, going limp.

“Doctor?” Kathryn asked fearfully.

The Doctor examined the readings, sighing in clear relief.

“She’s stabilized” he announced.

Letting out a nervous breath, Kathryn tapped her combadge.

“Janeway to Bridge, report”

“ _We’re being held in place by a tractor beam, ma’am_ ” Harry reported.

“A tractor beam?” Kathryn echoed “from where?”

“ _From us it looks like,_ ” Tom replied “ _looks like the other_ Voyager _and her crew survived_ ” he added as a console to Kathryn’s left chirped, the seal of the Federation appearing above the words ‘INCOMING TRANSMISSION…’.

Reaching out, Kathryn accepted the call, rearing back in surprise at the face that appeared.

“ _This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship_ Voyager,” her doppelganger introduced herself “ _looks like you’re in quite the pickle, Captain_ ” she smirked…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot twist! I'm evil, I know :=)

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought :=)


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